JP2015189204A - printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer configured to operate a switching member that switches conveyance paths for recording sheets between a retraction path and an exhaustion path without arranging an exclusive driving portion.SOLUTION: A printer (1) comprises: a printing portion (3) that performs printing on a recording sheet (10); conveying portions (17 and 18) that reciprocate the recording sheet between the printing portion and a retraction path (13A) during performing the printing and conveys the recording sheet to an exhaustion path (13B) when exhausting the sheet; a cutting portion (5) that cuts the recording sheet exhausted to the exhaustion path; a switching member (19) that switches conveyance paths between the retraction path and the exhaustion path at an upstream side of the cutting portion in the conveyance path for the recording sheet; and a connecting member (60) that connects the cutting portion to the switching member so as to make the switching member to switch the conveyance paths in interlock with movement of the cutting portion.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer.

  For example, there is known a printer that uses a belt-like recording sheet wound in a roll shape, and conveys the recording sheet by switching a conveyance path between printing and discharging. In such a printer, a plate-like movable member called a flap is used for switching the conveyance path. For example, the recording paper is transported on a transport path in the printer so as to repeatedly pass through the print unit at the time of printing, and is discharged to the outside of the printer by switching the transport path by a flap at the time of discharge. In this way, the recording paper is not taken out of the printer at the time of printing, so that even when a long recording paper is used, the user can touch the recording paper being printed or the recording paper being printed. Prevents dust and so on.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a printer that performs color printing on recording paper using an ink ribbon, and a curl correction mechanism that corrects the curl amount of a printed recording paper, and a tension addition mechanism that applies tension to the ink ribbon. And a switching mechanism for switching the path of the recording paper is driven by a single power.

  Further, although it is not a printer that switches the conveyance path between printing and discharging, Patent Document 2 discloses a printer that uses a recording paper roll, and uses an flap to deposit unnecessary cut pieces on a cut piece receiving portion. Things are listed. In this printer, when the recording paper on which the image is printed is conveyed, the cutting carriage moves from the standby position and cuts the colored portion when the recording head is preheated. In conjunction with this, the recording paper pressing member, arm member, and flap member rotate in one direction, the discharge port is brought into communication, the push-out member moves backward, and the cut piece accumulates on the cut piece receiving portion. . Thereafter, when the cutting carriage returns to the standby position, the recording paper pressing member, the arm member, and the flap member are rotated in the reverse direction, the discharge port is closed, and the push-out member is advanced to remove the accumulated cut pieces. Extrude.

JP 2008-137224 A JP 2005-186535 A

  In order to use a flap as a transfer path switching member, a drive unit such as a motor for driving the flap is required. However, if a dedicated motor is provided for each member such as a roller that transports the recording paper, a cutter that cuts the recording paper, and a flap that switches the transport path, the number of parts of the printer increases, and the size of the device increases and the manufacturing process increases. Cost increases. In addition, a friction clutch is generally used for the flap, and this friction clutch deteriorates due to the influence of the environment and changes over time. For this reason, it is desirable to be able to realize switching of the conveyance path without using a dedicated motor or friction clutch.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a printer that operates a switching member that switches a recording paper conveyance path between a retraction path and a discharge path without providing a dedicated drive unit.

  The printer of the present invention includes a printing unit that prints on a recording sheet, a recording unit that reciprocates the recording sheet between the printing unit and a retraction path during printing, and a conveyance unit that conveys the recording sheet to a discharge path when discharged. A cutting unit that cuts the recording sheet, a switching member that switches the conveyance path between the retraction path and the discharge path on the upstream side of the cutting unit in the conveyance path of the recording sheet, and a coupling unit that connects the cutting unit and the switching member, And a connecting member that causes the switching member to switch in conjunction with the operation of the cutting portion.

  In the printer described above, the cutting unit has a movable member capable of reciprocating in the width direction of the recording paper to be conveyed, and the movable member stands by at the first position during printing by the printing unit, When discharging, the switching member waits at a second position different from the first position, and when the movable member is at the first position, the switching member guides the recording sheet to the retraction path at a first angle, and the movable member is at the second position. It is preferable to guide the recording sheet to the discharge path at the second angle when the position is at the position.

  In the printer described above, the cutting unit further includes a pressing member that presses the recording paper to be conveyed, and the pressing member is arranged around a rotation axis extending in the width direction of the recording paper to be conveyed in accordance with the operation of the movable member. The connecting member is preferably rotatable, and the connecting member connects the pressing member and the switching member, and changes the angle of the switching member in conjunction with the rotation of the pressing member.

  In the printer described above, the pressing member has two protrusions protruding on the movement path at both ends of the movement path of the movable member, and the movable member abuts on one of the two protrusions to thereby rotate the rotating shaft. It is preferable to rotate around.

  According to the printer described above, it is possible to operate the switching member that switches the recording paper conveyance path between the retreat path and the discharge path without providing a dedicated drive unit.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a printer 1. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the movement of a recording sheet. It is a perspective view which shows the cutting part 5, the flap 19, and the connection member 60. FIG. FIG. 3 is a view of the inside of the printer 1 during printing as viewed from the front surface 12. FIG. 3 is a view of the inside of the printer 1 when discharged from the front surface 12. It is a fragmentary sectional view along the AA line and BB line of FIG. FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along lines CC and DD in FIG. 6.

  Hereinafter, the printer will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be understood, however, that the present invention is not limited to the drawings or the embodiments described below.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the printer 1. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the printer 1. In FIG. 2, only the parts necessary for explanation are shown in the constituent elements of the printer 1, and other constituent elements are omitted.

  The printer 1 includes, as main components, a roll paper holder 2, a head 3, a supply side ribbon roller 4A, a take-up side ribbon roller 4B, a cutting unit 5, a platen roller 9, a ribbon guide roller 15, a grip roller 17, and a pinch roller. 18, a flap 19, a discharge roller 23, and the like. Each of these components is arranged in the housing 7.

  The printer 1 reciprocates the roll-shaped recording paper 10 with respect to the head 3 to sequentially transfer, for example, a plurality of yellow, magenta, and cyan colors and an overcoat from the ink ribbon 4 onto the same area of the recording paper 10. The image is printed (printed). The printed recording paper 10 is cut by the cutting unit 5 and discharged to the outside of the printer 1 through the discharge port 6 provided on the front surface 12 of the printer 1. The material of the recording paper 10 is not particularly limited as long as it can be used for a printer.

  The roll paper holder 2 holds the recording paper 10 wound in a roll shape. The roll paper holder 2 is driven in the forward or reverse direction by the recording paper drive unit 32 and rotates around its central axis. As the roll paper holder 2 rotates in the forward direction, the recording paper 10 passes between the head 3 and the platen roller 9 and is conveyed toward the discharge port 6. Further, when the roll paper holder 2 rotates in the reverse direction, the recording paper 10 is rewound onto the roll paper holder 2.

  The supply side ribbon roller 4 </ b> A and the take-up side ribbon roller 4 </ b> B hold the ink ribbon 4. These rollers are driven by the ink ribbon drive unit 34 and rotate around their respective central axes. By this driving, the ink ribbon 4 is supplied from the supply side ribbon roller 4A, passes between the head 3 and the platen roller 9 via the ribbon guide roller 15, and is taken up by the take-up side ribbon roller 4B. Hereinafter, these rollers are also simply referred to as “ribbon rollers 4A and 4B”.

  The ink ribbon 4 is, for example, a belt-like sheet in which yellow, magenta, and cyan ink regions and an overcoat region are repeatedly arranged in the longitudinal direction in the same order. However, the ink ribbon 4 is not limited to such a sheet including a plurality of colors of ink, and may be a sheet including only a single color ink.

  The head 3 is configured to be movable with respect to the platen roller 9, and is pressed by the platen roller 9 with the ink ribbon 4 and the recording paper 10 sandwiched therebetween during printing. The head 3 is an example of a printing unit that prints on the recording paper 10, and the ink and the overcoat on the ink ribbon 4 are transferred onto the same area of the recording paper 10 by generating heat. This transfer is repeated for each area of the ink ribbon 4 while winding the ink ribbon 4. For the head 3, for example, a mechanism corresponding to the type of printer such as a sublimation type or a thermal melting type is used.

  The grip roller 17 and the pinch roller 18 convey the recording paper 10 between them. The grip roller 17 is rotationally driven by the recording paper drive unit 32 in either the direction of feeding the recording paper 10 (forward direction) or the direction of rewinding (reverse direction). The pinch roller 18 rotates following the grip roller 17. The pinch roller 18 is in contact with the grip roller 17 when the recording paper 10 is transported to hold the recording paper 10 with the grip roller 17, and is separated from the grip roller 17 when the recording paper 10 is not transported. Then, the recording paper 10 is released. The grip roller 17 and the pinch roller 18 are an example of a transport unit that transports the recording paper 10.

  The conveyance path of the recording paper 10 from the roll paper holder 2 passing between the head 3 and the platen roller 9 toward the discharge port 6 is divided into two hands from the flap 19 first. Hereinafter, the conveyance path extending in the direction along the outer periphery of the roll paper holder 2 from the flap 19 is referred to as a retreat path 13A. Moreover, the conveyance path | route which goes to the discharge port 6 from the flap 19 through the cutting part 5 is called discharge path 13B.

  The retract path 13A is a transport path for temporarily retracting the leading end portion of the recording paper 10 that reciprocates during printing. In the printer 1, a clearance formed in the outer peripheral portion of the roll paper holder 2 inside the housing 7 is used as the retreat path 13 </ b> A. The discharge path 13 </ b> B is a conveyance path for discharging a printed portion of the recording paper 10 to the outside of the printer 1. The leading end portion of the recording paper 10 that has entered the discharge path 13 </ b> B is conveyed toward the discharge port 6 by the discharge roller 23.

  The flap 19 is an example of a switching member, and the conveyance path of the recording paper 10 that has passed through the head 3 is changed between the retraction path 13A and the discharge path 13B by changing the angle with respect to the recording surface of the recording paper 10 being conveyed. Switch with. The flap 19 is disposed upstream of the cutting unit 5 and downstream of the head 3 in the conveyance path of the recording paper 10. The flap 19 is a plate-like member that can rotate around the rotation shaft 19A, and is fixed in the housing 7 so that the tip 19B is located on the head 3 side.

  The flap 19 guides the recording sheet 10 to the retreat path 13A when the leading end 19B is raised, and guides the recording sheet 10 to the discharge path 13B when the leading end 19B is lowered. The angle of the flap 19 changes in conjunction with the operation of the cutting part 5 by a connecting member 60 (see FIGS. 4A and 4B) described later. Further, the angle of the flap 19 is held by the connecting member 60.

  The cutting unit 5 cuts the recording paper 10 that passes through the discharge path 13 </ b> B and is discharged from the discharge port 6 to the outside of the printer 1 at a position before the discharge port 6. The cutting unit 5 is driven by the cutting drive unit 35. The cutting part 5 is disposed immediately before the discharge port 6 on the discharge path 13B.

  The printer 1 further includes a control unit 30, a data memory 31, a recording paper drive unit 32, a head drive unit 33, an ink ribbon drive unit 34, a cutting drive unit 35, and a communication interface 36.

  The control unit 30 is configured by a microcomputer including a CPU, a memory, and the like, and controls the overall operation of the printer 1. The data memory 31 is a storage area for accumulating image data received from the host computer via the communication interface 36.

  The recording paper drive unit 32 is a motor that drives the grip roller 17 and the roll paper holder 2 and rotates the grip roller 17 and the roll paper holder 2 in either the direction of feeding the recording paper 10 or the direction of rewinding. . The head drive unit 33 drives the head 3 based on the image data, and prints (prints) an image on the recording paper 10.

  The ink ribbon drive unit 34 is a motor that drives the supply side ribbon roller 4A and the take-up side ribbon roller 4B. The ink ribbon drive unit 34 and the take-up ribbon roller 4A take up the take-up ribbon roller 4A in either the direction in which the take-up ribbon roller 4B winds up the ink ribbon 4 or the direction in which the ink ribbon 4 is rewound onto the supply-side ribbon roller 4A. The side ribbon roller 4B is rotated.

  The cutting drive unit 35 is a motor that drives the cutting unit 5. The communication interface 36 receives image data to be printed from a host computer via a communication cable, for example.

  FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C are diagrams for explaining the movement of the recording paper 10. In these drawings, only the roll paper holder 2, the head 3, the ribbon rollers 4 </ b> A and 4 </ b> B, and the flap 19 that are necessary for explaining the movement of the recording paper 10 are shown among the components described above.

  Prior to printing, first, as shown in FIG. 3A, the flap 19 is raised in the C1 direction, and the recording paper 10 is sent out by a length corresponding to the size of the printing area. The leading edge 10E of the fed recording paper 10 is guided to the retreat path 13A because the flap 19 is raised.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 3B, the head 3 is pressed against the ink ribbon 4 and the recording paper 10. Then, while the recording paper 10 is rewound and the ink ribbon 4 is taken up, the print of yellow is first performed by the head 3. The rewinding of the recording paper 10, the winding of the ink ribbon 4, and the printing process by the head 3 are performed in synchronization.

  When the yellow printing is finished, as shown in FIG. 3A, the head 3 is once separated from the ink ribbon 4 and the recording paper 10, and the recording paper 10 is again sent out by a length corresponding to the size of the printing area. It is.

  The above process is performed for each color of yellow, magenta, and cyan, and a color image is printed on the same area of the recording paper 10. Thereafter, the same process as described above is performed for the overcoat to form a protective layer on the print area of the recording paper 10.

  At the end of printing, as shown in FIG. 3C, the flap 19 is lowered in the C2 direction, and the recording paper 10 is conveyed toward the discharge port 6. Since the flap 19 is now lowered, the leading edge 10E of the fed recording paper 10 is guided to the discharge path 13B. The leading edge 10E of the recording paper 10 on which the printing has been performed is discharged from the discharge port 6 to the outside of the printer 1 in this way. At this time, the rear end of the printing area of the recording paper 10 is cut by the cutting unit 5, and the printed recording paper 10 is taken out from the printer 1.

  FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are perspective views showing the cutting portion 5, the flap 19, and the connecting member 60. FIG. 5 is a view of the inside of the printer 1 during printing as viewed from the front surface 12. FIG. 6 is a view of the inside of the printer 1 when discharged from the front surface 12. 4A shows the cutting drive unit 35 and FIG. 4B also shows the guide unit 42 that guides the recording paper 10 adjacent to the flap 19. 5 and 6 show a state where the cover of the front surface 12 of the printer 1 is removed.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A to 6, the cutting unit 5 includes a carriage 51, a pressing member 52, a belt 53, a pulley 54, and a rail 55.

  The carriage 51 is an example of a movable member that can reciprocate in the width W direction of the recording paper 10 being conveyed, and has a disc blade 51A exposed on the lower side and a protruding portion 51B protruding on the upper side. The carriage 51 is attached to a belt 53, and the belt 53 is attached to a pair of pulleys 54. The carriage 51 moves along a rail 55 extending in the width W direction of the recording paper 10 to be conveyed, when the motor of the cutting drive unit 35 rotates the pulley 54 to drive the belt 53. The carriage 51 cuts the recording paper 10 discharged from the discharge port 6 with a disk blade 51A when moving from one end of the rail 55 to the other end.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the carriage 51 stands by at a position P <b> 1 that is a predetermined distance from one end P <b> 2 of the rail 55 during printing by the head 3. As shown in FIG. 6, the carriage 51 stands by at one end P <b> 2 of the rail 55 when the recording paper 10 is discharged. The position P1 is an example of a first position, and the end portion P2 is an example of a second position. 5 and 6, the position P1 and the end P2 are on the right side toward the front surface 12 of the printer 1. However, the cutting portion 5 has a symmetrical structure, and thus is on the left side toward the front surface 12. Also good.

  The pressing member 52 includes a pressing roller 52A, and presses the recording paper 10 by the pressing roller 52A so that the recording paper 10 does not shift when being cut by the disc blade 51A. The pressing member 52 has two projecting portions 52 </ b> B that project on the rail 55 at both ends of the rail 55 of the carriage 51.

  Further, the pressing member 52 is rotatable around a rotation shaft 52 </ b> C extending in the width W direction of the recording paper 10 being conveyed. When the carriage 51 moves to the end portion P2 of the rail 55 and the projection 51B of the carriage 51 comes into contact with one of the two projections 52B, the carriage 51 pushes up the projection 52B of the pressing member 52. As a result, the pressing member 52 rotates about the rotation shaft 52C by a certain angle in the direction of the arrow D2. Further, when the carriage 51 moves to the inside of the rail 55 (position P1) and the protrusion 51B of the carriage 51 moves away from the protrusion 52B, the pressing member 52 is set at a certain angle in the direction of the arrow D1 about the rotation shaft 52C. Rotate back to the original angle.

  The connecting member 60 is a member that connects the pressing member 52 and the flap 19 of the cutting portion 5, and is configured by a leaf spring, for example. The connecting member 60 holds the flap 19 upward (first angle) in the C1 direction when the pressing member 52 rotates in the direction of the arrow D1, and connects the flap 19 when the pressing member 52 rotates in the direction of the arrow D2. Hold downward in C2 direction (second angle). Thus, the connecting member 60 changes the angle of the flap 19 in conjunction with the rotation of the pressing member 52.

  FIGS. 7A and 7B are partial cross-sectional views taken along lines AA and BB in FIG. 5, respectively.

  As described above, during printing, the carriage 51 stands by at the position P1 (first position) located in the middle of the rail 55. At this time, since the protruding portion 52B is not pushed up by the protruding portion 51B of the carriage 51, the pressing member 52 is rotated by a certain angle in the arrow D1 direction. Thereby, the front-end | tip 19B of the flap 19 goes up to C1 direction via the connection member 60 (it becomes a 1st angle). For this reason, the front end 19B of the flap 19 moves in the direction approaching the guide portion 41 that guides the recording paper 10 on the upper side of the housing 7, opens the entrance to the retreat path 13A and closes the entrance to the discharge path 13B. Therefore, the leading edge of the recording paper 10 abuts on the lower surface of the flap 19 and is guided to the retreat path 13A. That is, the flap 19 guides the recording paper 10 to the retreat path 13A at the first angle when the carriage 51 is at the first position.

  FIGS. 8A and 8B are partial cross-sectional views taken along lines CC and DD in FIG. 6, respectively.

  As described above, at the time of ejection, the carriage 51 stands by at the end portion P2 (second position) of the rail 55. At this time, the protrusion 52B is pushed up by the protrusion 51B of the carriage 51, and the pressing member 52 is rotated by a certain angle in the direction of the arrow D2. Thereby, the tip 19B of the flap 19 is lowered in the C2 direction via the connecting member 60 (the second angle is reached). For this reason, the front end 19B of the flap 19 moves in a direction away from the guide portion 41 that guides the recording paper 10 on the upper side of the casing 7, thereby closing the entrance to the retreat path 13A and opening the entrance to the discharge path 13B. Therefore, the leading edge of the recording paper 10 is guided to the discharge path 13 </ b> B along the upper surface of the flap 19. That is, the flap 19 guides the recording paper 10 to the discharge path 13B at the second angle when the carriage 51 is in the second position.

  As described above, in the printer 1, the flap 19 is connected to the pressing member 52 via the connecting member 60, and moves up and down in conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the carriage 51 of the cutting unit 5. That is, when printing by the head 3 is completed and the recording paper 10 is discharged from the discharge port 6, the flap 19 is switched from a state of being raised in the C1 direction to a state of being lowered in the C2 direction. Further, when the recording paper 10 is discharged and printing is started again, the flap 19 is switched from the state lowered in the C2 direction to the state raised in the C1 direction.

  In this manner, by interlocking the operation of the flap 19 with the operation of the cutting unit 5, the recording paper is moved between the retreat path 13A and the discharge path 13B by moving the flap 19 without providing a dedicated drive unit for the flap 19. Ten conveyance paths can be switched. Therefore, in the printer 1, it is possible to reduce the drive motor for the flap 19. Further, the flap 19 of the printer 1 does not require a friction clutch, so that the flap 19 is not affected by the environment or changes over time.

  Further, in the printer 1, the two pressing portions 52 </ b> B are provided symmetrically on the pressing member 52 of the cutting portion 5, and the angle of the flap 19 can be adjusted regardless of which end of the carriage 51 moves on the rail 55. Can be changed. If the protrusion 52B is provided only at one end of the pressing member 52, there is a restriction that when the flap 19 is operated, the carriage 51 must be moved to the end where the protrusion 52B is present. Imposed. However, in the printer 1, such a restriction is not imposed, and the operation of the cutting unit 5 and the flap 19 is simplified because the carriage 51 needs to move only once to one end regardless of the position of the carriage 51. .

  The linkage mechanism between the cutting unit 5 and the flap 19 described above is not limited to the printer 1 that uses the ink ribbon 4 to transfer onto the recording paper 10 as in the printer 1, but may be applied to other printers such as an inkjet. Is also applicable. Further, this interlocking mechanism is not limited to a printer that uses a strip-shaped recording paper wound in a roll shape, but can also be applied to a printer that uses a recording paper that has been cut into a specific size in advance.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 2 Roll paper holder 3 Head 5 Cutting part 6 Ejection port 10 Recording paper 13A Retraction path 13B Ejection path 19 Flap 19A Rotating shaft 51 Carriage 52 Pressing member 52B Protrusion part 60 Connection member

Claims (4)

A printing section for printing on recording paper;
A transport unit that reciprocates the recording paper between the printing unit and the retreat path during printing, and transports the recording paper to the discharge path during ejection;
A cutting section for cutting the recording paper discharged to the discharge path;
A switching member for switching the conveyance path between the retraction path and the discharge path on the upstream side of the cutting unit in the conveyance path of the recording paper;
A connecting member that connects the cutting part and the switching member, and causes the switching member to perform the switching in conjunction with the operation of the cutting part;
A printer comprising: The cutting unit has a movable member that can reciprocate in the width direction of the recording paper to be conveyed,
The movable member stands by at a first position during printing by the printing unit, and waits at a second position different from the first position when discharging the recording paper,
The switching member guides the recording sheet to the retraction path at a first angle when the movable member is at the first position, and records at a second angle when the movable member is at the second position. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the printer guides a sheet to the discharge path. The cutting unit further includes a pressing member that presses the conveyed recording paper,
The pressing member is rotatable around a rotation axis extending in the width direction of the recording paper to be conveyed, according to the operation of the movable member.
The printer according to claim 2, wherein the connecting member connects the pressing member and the switching member, and changes an angle of the switching member in conjunction with rotation of the pressing member.   The pressing member has two projecting portions projecting on the moving path at both ends of the moving path of the movable member, and the rotating shaft is brought into contact with either one of the two projecting sections. The printer according to claim 3, wherein the printer rotates around the printer.

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